Chapter 23: Naming Ceremony
771 Words
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*Sunday. 6:00pm. Cole Estate. Garden.*
White lights.
String quartet.
100 people.
And a giant sign that said:
`WELCOME ELEANOR ZARA COLE`
I was 25 weeks pregnant.
In a cream dress.
Barefoot in the grass.
Holding Adrian’s hand.
“Are you ready?” he whispered.
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” I said.
He squeezed my hand.
“Whatever happens, we’re in this together.”
Eleanor kicked.
Like she was hyping us up.
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*The Announcement. 6:15pm.*
Eleanor stood at the microphone.
Adrian next to her.
Me in front of them.
“Thank you all for coming,” Eleanor said.
Her voice shook a little.
“I don’t do this often.
So I’ll be quick.”
She looked at us.
Soft.
“My son and his wife
are expecting a daughter.”
Applause.
Cheers.
“And,” Adrian cut in.
Taking the mic.
“She has a name.”
The garden went quiet.
Adrian looked at me.
Then at my stomach.
Then at the crowd.
“Eleanor,” he said.
People gasped.
“Eleanor Zara Cole,” he said louder.
“Eleanor, after my mother.
Who taught me what love looks like.
Even when I forgot.”
He looked at his mom.
She was crying.
“And Zara,” he said.
“After her mother.
Who taught her how to be brave.
How to forgive.
How to love someone like me.”
I was crying.
Full on.
Adrian kept going.
“We found out she’s a girl
2 weeks ago.
And since then,
I haven’t stopped thinking about her.
About the woman she’ll become.
About the world she’ll grow up in.”
He paused.
Voice cracking.
“I used to think my legacy
was Cole Group.
Was money.
Was power.”
He shook his head.
“I was wrong.
My legacy is her.
Eleanor.
And the woman standing next to me
who gave her to me.”
He turned to me.
Dropped to one knee.
Right there.
In front of 100 people.
Hand on my stomach.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
Just for me.
“For choosing me.
For trusting me.
For giving me you.
And giving me her.”
I nodded.
Couldn’t talk.
He stood up.
Pulled me into him.
Kissed me.
Right there.
The crowd lost it.
Clapping.
Crying.
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*After. The Photos. 7:00pm.*
We took pictures.
A million of them.
Me and Adrian.
Me and Eleanor.
Adrian and Eleanor.
All of us.
David posted one.
Caption: `The CEO. The Queen. The Princess.`
It got 10 million likes in an hour.
Comments:
`I’M SOBBING`
`ADRIAN COLE SAID HIS LEGACY IS HIS DAUGHTER`
`THE WAY HE DROPPED TO ONE KNEE`
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*The Toast. 8:00pm.*
Adrian tapped his glass.
Everyone quieted.
“I don’t have a speech,” he said.
“So I’ll just say this.”
He looked at me.
“4 years ago I lost the best thing
that ever happened to me.
Because I was stupid.
Because I was scared.
Because I thought I didn’t deserve her.”
He paused.
“I was right.
I didn’t deserve her.
I still don’t.
But she chose me anyway.
And I’m spending every day
trying to be worthy of that choice.”
He looked down at me.
“And I’m spending every day
preparing to be worthy of Eleanor.
So when she’s 16 and hates me,
I’ll deserve it.
And when she’s 30 and calls me for advice,
I’ll deserve that too.”
He raised his glass.
“To Eleanor Zara Cole.
May she be kind.
May she be brave.
May she be loved.
And may she never doubt
that her parents would burn the world down
to keep her safe.”
Everyone raised their glasses.
“To Eleanor!”
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*10:00pm. The Garden. Just Us.*
Everyone was gone.
Lights still on.
Flowers everywhere.
Adrian and I sat on the grass.
Shoes off.
His head in my lap.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Full,” I said.
“Like my heart is gonna explode.”
He nodded.
“Same.”
He reached up.
Tucked my hair behind my ear.
“Eleanor,” he said.
Testing it.
“Eleanor,” I said back.
We said it together.
Like a prayer.
“Do you think she heard us?” I asked.
“I hope so,” he said.
“I hope she knows
we’ve been waiting for her
for a long time.”
He sat up.
Kissed me.
“Thank you,” he said.
“For giving me a family.”
I kissed him back.
“Thank you for giving me a home.”
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- Writer
